Politico to Start European Operation in Partnership With German Media Company

The political website Politico will form a partnership with the German media conglomerate Axel Springer to start a European operation, headquartered in Brussels, with a presence in Germany and France, according to a message sent to employees Tuesday.

“We can tell you this is a 50-50 joint venture with Axel Springer and will cover not just Brussels but European politics and policy more broadly,” said Politico’s founders, John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei, in the message. The new publication is a stand-alone enterprise, the two said, and will have a new staff, based entirely in Europe.

Politico was founded in 2007 and rose quickly to become a player in the world of political reporting. It has recently been considering ways to grow and refine its journalism.

Last year, it started a magazine that focused on deeper and more expansive stories. The site also hired an executive editor, Rick Berke, from The New York Times in October, but he resigned Sunday, citing differences with Mr. Harris and Mr. VandeHei. A replacement for Mr. Berke will not be named until a new strategy is put in place, Mr. Harris and Mr. VandeHei said in a separate memo to employees this weekend.

Axel Springer, which is based in Berlin and publishes Bild and Die Welt among others, said last year that it was selling two regional newspapers and several magazines to focus on digital media. It invested in a United States-based news start-up, Ozy, earlier this year.